“Put the gun down, William,” she said, forcing her voice to remain steady even as her whole body trembled.
“I don’t think I will,” William replied, his voice clipped. “I’m still deciding whether I want to use it.” He didn’t look at Charlotte as he spoke. His eyes were still boring into Henry.
Charlotte’s stomach twisted. She had seen William angry before and knew he could be quick-tempered when provoked, but this was different. This was a cold, sharp, deliberate fury. It terrified her, especially with him gripping that rifle.
Henry took a step toward William, raising his hands as though to placate him. “This isn’t what it looks like, I assure you.”
The words hit her with the force of a slap. Charlotte stared at Henry’s profile, but he wouldn’t look back at her.
It wasn’t what it looked like?
Then what was it?
A mistake? A lapse in judgment?
For her, that kiss had been something she’d dreamed of for longer than she cared to admit, but for Henry it apparently hadn’t meant much at all. She looked from him to William, and fury scorched through her veins. She met Miranda’s eyes and noted the confusion there but now wasn’t the time to explain.
William’s eyes darkened at Henry’s words. “Is that so?” His voice dripped with skepticism. “Because to me, YourGrace, it looks an awful lot like you had your hands all over my sister.”
Miranda’s eyes widened. Charlotte’s cheeks burned, and she tried to calm herself, to remember that she didn’t actually want to smack her brother or Henry.
Miranda started forward but Charlotte motioned for her to stop. She didn’t want her friend to be at risk while William was so clearly furious.
“William,” she began, stepping forward to intervene.
“Do not try to defend him, Charlotte,” he interrupted. “How long has this been going on? How long has this rake been taking advantage of you and how far have you allowed him to go?”
Her jaw dropped. Did he honestly believe that they’d been sneaking around behind his back? If so, how could she make him see that nothing had been going on before this? That until today, she hadn’t even dared to believe Henry saw her as anything more than William’s little sister?
But of course he would react this way. If anyone else were to find out what had happened between them today, she would be utterly ruined. Even that cretin Sir Roger would consider her beneath him.
Before she could figure out what on earth to say, another horrible thought occurred to her. “Where are the other gentlemen?” If William was here, then surely the rest of the hunting party were close behind. “Is the hunt coming this way?”
William’s gaze flicked to her, his jaw still tight and the pulse at his temple throbbing. “Lord Fairweather was feeling ill and decided to return to the house for lunch,” he said. “I rode back with him and then walked this way to catch up to both of you and the other ladies. And thank the heavens I did, or how much more damage would you have done to my sister’s reputation?”
Charlotte exhaled roughly. At least the rest of their houseguests were not here to witness this altercation. Things weren’t quitethatbad.
“Miranda was present,” she said stiffly. “Nothing would have progressed further.”
William snorted. “Miranda was paying more attention to the flowers than the world around her, as usual.”
Miranda flinched, and Charlotte narrowed her eyes at her brother’s unkind words.
“I meant Charlotte no harm,” Henry said finally, drawing William’s attention back to him. “I would never seek todisgrace her. She turned her ankle. I was escorting her back, accompanied by Miss Sutton. Charlotte needed rest so we sat and… I never intended harm, you must believe me.”
William made a scoffing noise. “Please, Henry. I saw you kissing her. Do me the courtesy of not lying so brazenly to my face.”
Henry sighed and gave a curt nod. “I went too far. We shared a moment, and I could not help myself. The fault is mine, not Charlotte’s.”
Charlotte stiffened.A moment.That was all. As if it had been some fleeting, inconsequential thing. As if it hadn’t set her entire world spinning.
William let out a short, humorless laugh. “A moment? That won’t do. You cannot expect me to forget about this.”
He took a step closer to them both, still gripping his gun. “So, I assume if you’re willing to go around kissing unmarried ladies where anyone could see, then that means you’ve resolved whatever your ‘problems’ concerning matrimony were.”
Henry’s brow creased. “What do you mean?”
“You must be ready to offer Charlotte marriage. Surely you are not such a cad as to think otherwise.”
